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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Misha Gericke's THE VANISHED KNIGHT - pay it forward :)

Aloha,



Ever since my first boss in the newspaper industry, Tammy Raits, gave me The. One. Chance. needed to shove my foot through print journalism's door, I’ve been a firm believer in Paying It Forward – in life and in writing.

It is then with a genuine WHOOP! that I have Misha Gericke over to share the goods about her new book, THE VANISHED KNIGHT.
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Thanks for having me over today, Mark!

When we were discussing this post, Mark asked me to write about paying it forward and why it’s important to writers to do it.
And this… is a bit of a tricky question. See, I could go on and on and on about how paying forward actually scores brownie points with the universe, and how you’d be lucky as a result. Or how being seen as a generous and helpful blogger can be great for book sales. Or any of such things.

But to me, it’s not about that at all. See, whether or not any of the above is true, they’re not the reasons why I pay it forward and spend at least every two months asking other people to do the same.

To me, paying forward is about saying thanks. I have talent. I have finished projects. And now I have a book published. And behind all that, I have a marvelous support structure that is the writing blogger community. The other writers are always there with advice, sympathy or encouragement when I need it. They’re always willing to lend a helping hand.

And they’re always rooting for us, no matter where they might be in their writing journeys.

So in return, I try to be the same for everyone in the blogging community. But more than that, I want to show them how much they’re appreciated. Not only by me, but by everyone else who they’ve touched. That’s why I ask for sponsors, and why I ask others to nominate possible winners, and why I ask others to vote for the winners.

And you know what? I figure that if I brighten an amazing blogger’s day by only a little because of the Paying Forward Awards, I would have said thanks the proper way.

If you want to be part of the Paying Forward Awards, please mail me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com and we can talk about it. I’m busy collecting sponsors for October right now.

Thanks for reading! What do you like to do for others?
(Hahaha after writing this, plugging my book feels so silly, but this is, after all, why I’m blog touring. Hope you don’t mind!)
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Gosh, Misha, I don’t mind at all… we writers have enough angst: (Medic!! We need a medic! I need a shot of IWSG. Stat, people!!!) so to share the success of one, is to help all of us.
(What’s the old saying… what doesn’t get rejected, makes you stronger… something like that…)

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THE VANISHED KNIGHT Blurb:

Since the death of her parents, Callan Blair has been shunted from one foster family to another, her dangerous secret forcing the move each time. Her latest foster family quickly ships her off to an exclusive boarding school in the Cumbrian countryside. While her foster-brother James makes it his mission to get Callan expelled, a nearby ancient castle holds the secret doorway to another land...

When Callan is forced through the doorway, she finds herself in the magical continent of Tardith, where she’s shocked to learn her schoolmates Gawain and Darrion are respected soldiers in service to the king of Nordaine, one of Tardith's realms. More than that, the two are potential heirs to the Black Knight—Nordaine's crown prince.

But when the Black Knight fails to return from a mysterious trip, the realm teeters on the brink of war. Darrion and Gawain set out to find him, while Callan discovers there is more to her family history than she thought. The elves are claiming she is their princess.

Now with Darrion growing ever more antagonistic and her friendship with Gawain blossoming, Callan must decide whether to stay in Nordaine—where her secret grows ever more threatening—or go to the elves and uncover the truth about her family before war sets the realms afire.

Bio:
M. Gerrick (AKA Misha Gericke) has basically created stories since before she could write. Many of those stories grew up with her and can be seen in her current projects.
She lives close to Cape Town, with a view over False Bay and Table Mountain.
Feel free to mail her at warofsixcrowns(AT)gmail(DOT)com, Circle her on Google Plus or follow her on Twitter.

If you'd like to see her writer-side (beware, it's pretty insane), please feel free to check out her blog

LINKS:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
 

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do hope this book is a success.
Great post.

Yvonne.

Misha Gerrick said...

Awe thanks Yvonne!

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I love this post Misha :) paying it forward makes the world go round. I wish you a smashing success on your book :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Saying thanks is a big part of why I do it. So many were generous and helpful when my first book was released. I want to do the same for others.

Nick Wilford said...

Great attitude, Misha! I feel I owe an enormous debt of thanks to those who helped with my anthology. Always happy to help anyone out.

Misha Gerrick said...

Thanks, OE!

Exactly, Alex.

Yeah it's great to be part of our community, Nick. Definitely something to be grateful for.

Johanna Garth said...

Great book and I guess I try to pay it forward by reading as many writers as I can and then talk, talk, talking about them! :)

Elise Fallson said...

Wish you a lot of success too, Misha! Excellent post. I enjoy spotlighting writing buddies and beta reading when I can, this writing community is so amazing. (:

Andrew Leon said...

That's why I do the whole "Unexpected Applause" thing.

~Sia McKye~ said...

I was raised with the principles of being appreciative of gifts we're given and generosity. Giving and helping others is part of that. I've always felt if you can reach out and help someone, do it. What may seem like something small to you can be something big to them. I don't do it for the tit for tat but because I genuinely like helping people.

A hidden door to another world...what fun!

Sia McKye Over Coffee

Misha Gerrick said...

Thanks Johanna. That sort of support can be invaluable.

Thanks Elise! I also love critting and beta reading.

Makes sense, Andrew. :-)

I'm the same way. Don't do stuff to get stuff back. But it's amazing how much people are willing to help after you've been generous in helping them.

Liz Blocker said...

I love seeing this on the blog roll this week. Congrats again, Misha! And Mark, I love the idea of this award.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Congrats Misha and nothing bad comes from helping others. Unless it's a criminal, beware of criminals.

Melissa said...

Great interview, guys.
Love your cover, Misha. :)

Suzanne Furness said...

Supporting each other and saying 'thanks' in whatever way you can is important. That is what is great about this community of bloggers.

Elizabeth Seckman said...

For me, paying it forward is all about empathy. I like to help when I can because I have been there and needed that. If I earn brownie points? Awesome! Who says no to brownies!

Love the cover Misha! And it's hard to pick just one blogger...immediately I have so many names in my head!

Laura S. said...

Everyone needs supporters, and paying it forward shows that someone cares and is rooting for you. A little bit of kindness can go a long way for someone.

Wishing you the best with your novel, Misha!! I love the new title, by the way. The Vanished Knight sounds enticing and mysterious!

Happy reading and writing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines

Elephant's Child said...

Congratulations Mischa. Paying it Forward is part of my life. It makes sense to me. And feels good.

Misha Gerrick said...

Thanks Liz!

Sheena, yeah helping criminals can be a dodgy business.

Thanks Melissa!

I agree with you Suzanne. :-)

I'm the same, Elizabeth. The brownie points are lovely, but not the reason why I help out where I can.

Thanks Laura! Never thought I'd like another name, but in the end I chose it! :-D

Thanks EC! I agree that paying forward is and should be a lifestyle.

Stephen Tremp said...

I'm sending big thoughts of a smashing success your way right now!

Unknown said...

Paying it forward should just be a way of life.

Meradeth Houston said...

Paying it forward is one of the best things about the writing community--it helps us all both by giving and receiving :)

Gina Gao said...

This is a really great post! Helping one another is really important.

www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

JJ said...

I love the Pay It Forward concept. Good post!

klahanie said...

Hey Mazza and Misha,

Lovely to see you over in Hawaii, Misha. I'm delighted that your perseverance, your dedication, your passion for writing, has realised your dream becoming a reality.

Like you, Misha, I firmly believe in being there for others. And discreetly in the background, with little fanfare, you know I'm constantly promoting you and so many others. We embrace the same ideals.

Well done, dear lady.

Oh Mazza, I'm still looking for suitable mints for your bated breath! :)

Misha Gerrick said...

Thanks Steve!

I agree with you Melanie.

Meradeth I agree. Everyone's willing to help, so I am to, which means that hardly anyone struggles with something where an extra pair of hands/eyes are needed.

Thanks Gina!

Thanks JJ!

I agree Gary. Paying forward shouldn't only be about getting people's attention. It's a bit of a necessity for the awards, but other than that, I prefer not to announce to the world if I've helped someone out.

S.P. Bowers said...

life is all about helping each other out. Congrats Misha!

Misha Gerrick said...

Thanks S.P.!

Annalisa Crawford said...

Paying it Forward is such a great idea - none of us would be where we are today without a little help. I wish I was more confident about my beta reading skills to be able to offer something as a prize.

Chancelet said...

PIF is very important, in deed! And it helps us writers to not feel so alone in this chosen field of ours. Good fortune to both you, Misha and Mark for doing your parts! Writer’s Mark

Arlee Bird said...

Paying it forward is a great philosophy we should all try to live by. I wish I could do better but I try when I can. Good for you Misha.

Lee
A Faraway View

Misha Gerrick said...

Annalisa, I'm sure that you can come up with something amazing with a little thought. You are, after all, amazing yourself. :-)

Nancy I agree. Writers do need to feel someone else gets what they're going through. Because quite often, few people do.

Lee, trying is all that's required, I believe. No one's perfect.

Trikle Trade said...

This is great, Your blog has been a source of great knowledge..
Paying It Forward
Random Acts of Kindness

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